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Tuesday, December 20, 2011

Finally Out of Iraq: Was it Worth it?

The last convoy leaves the country.

On Sunday, December 18, 2011, the last of American troops finally exited the country of Iraq, effectively ending the Iraq War. The last convoy withdrew from the last active military complex, with the soldiers buzzing with excitement and relief. The departure marked the end of an aggressive nine-year skirmish that has left the government and people of Iraq shattered and seemingly misplaced.

Over these nine years, over 100,000 Iraqi citizens and 4,500 United States troops were killed. The war cost an overall 800 billion dollars to fund.

The tirade against Saddam Hussein and insurgent threats was steeped in a widespread cat and mouse chase across the entire country. The American government reached its goal to displace Hussein in 2006, when the Iraqi leader was hanged and killed. After this victory, however, the American government knew that there was more work to be done to establish a new democracy in Iraq and counter several insurgent threats.

The original motive of the United States was to take action to stop impending nuclear weapons development within the country of Iraq. Instead, the military discovered that these nuclear weapons were non-existent, and failed to prove that Iraq was a real threat to America. The skirmish resulted in a devastated country and thousands of unhappy inhabitants.

4,500 soldiers were killed in the war.

Additionally, now that thousands of innocent citizens have perished and the United States has wreaked tremendous havoc on the balance of secure government within Iraq, citizens of the country have shown great distaste for the American occupation. Some Iraqis celebrated the departure of American troops as an answer to the damage that the United States has done to their country.

The question still remains whether the Iraq War really accomplished anything at all. Many who believe so fail to recognize the big picture and point out seemingly minor benefits.

The real benefit to the United States’ Arab campaign, however, is the fact that the military was capable of assassinating two influential Arabic leaders that were potentially threatening America.

Regardless of your opinion on this issue, the departure of the overseas troops and the closure of the Iraq War is something that everyone should celebrate.